Technology & Transportation

Fins, Fulfillment and Foreign Makes: What is the meaning of fulfillment in contemporary American life? This is a unit that uses the automobile as a vehicle to explore the cultural and economic history of the United States since WWII. The intent of this unit is to provide a coherent and compelling series of lessons that address those trends and issues in the modern American experience not covered in commonly taught units on the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement. In particular students focus on trends in cultural history, consumerism, and economic history. A reoccurring theme is the role of changing technology in changing our social norms. David Lickey, Matt Campeau, Cassandre Lewis
FinsFulfillForeignMakes.pdf_(145kb)

The Development of Cities: Using Portland as a case study, this unit examines the development of cities as commerce and industrial centers. Students are asked to examine the topography of Oregon, to discuss its resources and to speculate about the ideal places to for cities to be founded. The unit then gives students an overview of the reasons for the rapid growth of cities in the United States during the 19th century. Transportation technology is then examined in more detail through a focus on the ways in which changes in transportation technology and commuting habits effect the development of cities. Brandan McClain
Growth of Cities Unit.pdf_(750kb)

The Interconnected Relationship Between People - Transportation - Cities: In this unit students explore the impact the automobile had on the lives of Americans. Students discover how its popularity and mass consumption was made possible as well as how that consumption affected the spread of urban areas, the shift of areas of production and housing, and its impact on the social elements of people’s lives. Michael Williams
People_Transp_Cities.pdf_(178kb)

Jeffersonian Visions, Immigration & Westward Expansion

The Pattern of Chinese Presence in Oregon's History: In this unit, students research the history of immigration between 1860-1950 and use the results of their research to analyze economic, cultural, and political reasons why people immigrate and the varied perceptions of immigrants by their predecessors. Students then study labor and population patterns of the Chinese in Portland, Oregon. Finally, students participate in a Tea Party, which gives them the opportunity to meet a variety of individuals, Chinese and others, from the late 1880’s to increase their knowledge about their lives, situations, and biases. Barbara Stonecypher, Bob Anderson, Manju la Koshy
ChineseImmigrationOR.pdf_( 945kb)

Nihonmachi - Japan Town Remembered: Portland’s “Old Town” was a diverse community of immigrants around the turn of the 20th century. In three weeks (2 periods a day), students explore urban immigration to Portland’s Old Town, as well as their own immigrant/migrant experience to Portland, in relation to larger historical themes of immigration and migration. Students produce a packet that encompasses multi genre written responses to literature, primary source documents, and GIS materials. Students gain awareness of urban renewal, how and why Portland’s immigrant population changed over time, through an interactive, experiential scavenger hunt through Portland’s “Old Town” as well as investigative research into GIS-ready census data. Students will meet Portland Public Schools standards in reading, writing, geography, history, and social studies. Students will be assessed according to the standardized procedure which examines academic success as well as effort. Edna Kovacs,Ph.D. and Elizabeth Thiel
Nihonmachi.pdf_(9,283kb)

Personal Immigration Stories ArcView Projec.zip (3,850kb)

Oldtown 1930 Census ArcView Project.zip (23,964kb)

Oldtown Vice ArcView Project.zip (52,381kb)

Portland Foreign Born ArcView Project.zip (4,431kb)

Who Owns the Land? This unit is part of a multidisciplinary, year-long study of earth and life cycles with a focus on continuity and change. Throughout the year in the social studies/language arts classroom, we will rely on the geographic theme of “place” to question who has the right to control the use and ownership of property.   In this unit, we research the effects of the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 in the Willamette Valley in Oregon.  We then become part of the Kelly Clan from Paluski County, Kentucky, who settled seven claims in Multnomah County, Oregon. The Kelly family  has persevered in Portland as evidenced by the named places associated with it:  SW Kelly, SE Clinton, Richmond School, Clark School, Kelly Butte, Kelly Creek and more.  The family named Mt. Tabor; it provided the first school site in SE Portland – Cleveland High School sits on a corner of Clinton Kelly’s land claim – and the numerous family cemetery plots, as well as Clinton Kelly’s house on Powell Blvd. (still standing), are testimony to their existence and influence. The Kellys have left behind a series of self-published books that allow students to appreciate the people who go with the property.  As students take on the role of one of the Kelly family members they will appreciate how settlement in the Pacific Northwest transformed families as well as their land claim holdings. Finally, the Kelly Clan provides us with a distinct opportunity to develop skills in interpreting primary source documents, secondary source documents, and spatial data.  Students will analyze the characteristics of their own adopted Kellys in the 1860 Multnomah County census.  They will then apply their understanding of the census by interpreting the household data for other 1860 census addresses in Portland.  Students will read the original land claim documents for their adopted Kellys, and will attempt to map the claim from the data given.  Students will use ArcView GIS Oregon settlement data provided by the Teaching American History project to appreciate the complexity of geography and to adjust their maps. As a culminating project, students will walk their land claims, visit the family cemetery, and comment on how the land has both stayed the same and changed since 1860.  By using additional spatial sets from TAH such as trolley car routes, and census data, students will make conclusions about how the land and its people are evolving.  As an extension, some students will research the Kelly family members in more detail using resources on-line, at the Oregon Historical Society, at the Genealogical Forum of Oregon, and at the Multnomah County Library. Carol Berkley
Who Owns The Land.pdf (13.7mgs)

Who Owns the Land Arcview Project.zip

(WARNING: This download is 275mgs)

Westward Expansion - Settling of the West, Ethnic and Gendered Perspectives: Westward expansion may be viewed through a variety of perspectives including that of women, Chicanos, Native Americans, and the classic story of the white man. In this unit, students study Westward Expansion on a local, regional and national level becoming proficient in the societies of America and the issues they faced during Westward Expansion. Students create a Wild West Through Many Eyes newspaper that incorporates understanding of key people, places, way of life, and prominent issues such as the Donation Land Act. Students also produce a packet that encompasses multi genre written responses to literature, primary source documents, and GIS (geographic information system) materials. Students gain awareness of Westward Expansion and their own migration to Oregon through a timeline guided interview of family members. Students will meet Portland Public Schools standards in reading, writing, geography, history and social studies. Students will be assessed according to the standardized procedure which examines academic achievement as well as effort. Edna Kovacs, Ph.D.
Westward_Expansion.pdf_(5,044kb)

Settlement of the Oregon Territory: Impact of Geography: This unit is designed as a series of activities allowing students, working in groups of four and individually, to demonstrate their knowledge of the challenges geography presented in the settlement of Oregon in the late 1800’s. They will show this by creating visuals and analyses for a class presentation and a writing assignment, using the computer, atlases and other references as resources. Students will create 3 different maps that replicate the routes taken by selected families to the Champoeg and Oregon City land grant areas, starting from a point on the Lewis & Clark Trail. They will compare and contrast the maps and evaluate their findings through a series of suggested questions. Students will also evaluate the livability of the land plot chosen through a series of questions that deal with the technology and resources of the time. Using primary source documents from the early settlers, each student will research a family member from the selected families to gain awareness of the emotional and physical hardships early settlers encountered on the trail and while developing the land. They will assume the identity of that person and write a narrative in a diary format to describe the life of an early Oregon settler. Students will meet the PPS and Oregon State Standards in geography, history and writing. Student projects will be assessed by the Oregon State Writing and Speaking Standards. Alice Ferguson Chadd
Settlement of the Oregon Territory.pdf_(3,621kb)

Additional Materials: PDX Arrest Dockets.ppt (1.3mb)

Wobblies: By the end of this unit students will understand the changes that industrialization brought to American society, the different responses of American working people to the exploitation that these changes facilitated, and the unique contributions to that struggle of the IWW (Wobblies) in the Pacific Northwest. Tom Conry and Amanda Alonso
PDX_Wobblies.pdf_(376kb)

The "Red Scare": This unit explores the reaction by business and government to the growth of industrial unions as an answer to the alleviation of the problems brought on by the Industrial Revolution. Students analyze how this reaction manifested itself through government agencies and the media. George Young
Red Scare.pdf_(688kb)

Labor & the Economy

Additional Materials: NW PDX Work Class Nbrhd.ppt (1.6mb)

Vanport - More Than Just The Nation's Largest Wartime Housing Project: The housing project known as Vanport served a distinct purpose during World War II, housing over 40,000 employees for the Kaiser shipyards. As the nation's largest wartime housing project and touted as a wonderful self-contained community this unit looks at what life was like for many of those individuals that lived in the city. By examining this community, students see many characteristics that affected daily life during the war years and the added hardships brought on by the housing project known as Vanport. Even though people faced many hardships related to Vanport and World War II there were relationships and bonds created during these years (1943-1945) that would last a lifetime. To the very end, life in Vanport remained a unique, and for many, a distressing experience (Life in Vanport. Manly Maben). John Robinson
Vanport_Unit.pdf_(195kb)

Women Workers on the Homefront During WWII: During World War II the United States faced a severe labor shortage. Many thousands of workers entered the armed forces to fight the war while at the same time there was increased demand for industrial production. The federal government launched a recruitment drive to mobilize women workers for defense industry jobs. During the war, Portland, OR, and Vancouver, WA, became major shipbuilding centers where women were recruited to work. In this unit, students are exposed to the immediate and long-range impact for women on the homefront during World War II. The lessons explore the effects on gender roles and the American family. Note: The lessons are intended to add to any WWII unit. Rachel Draper
Women and WWII .pdf_(596kb)

World War II and the Aftermath

World War II and the Japanese Internment: The relocation of Japanese-Americans during World War II in Old Town Portland is explored using historical city directories as well as photographs, interviews, films, maps, and readings. Students examine the relocation of Japanese-Americans in the Old Town section of Portland using ArcView GIS to study Portland’s City Directories for the time period 1934-1949. Students also examine a 1938 “Residential Security” (or Redlining) map to gain an understanding of the distribution of minority populations in Portland prior to World War II. William Stack
Japanese_Internment.pdf_(1,985kb)

Population, Labor & Education in Portland Oregon during WWII: Goals of the Unit: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the following topics and concepts (1) The effects of wartime mobilization, (2) lasting effects of WWII on culture in the St. Johns area, (3) employment in Portland related to WWII, (4) changes in population distribution before, during and after WWII, (5) the effect of WWII on education in Portland, and (6) post-war environment at Roosevelt High School. Essential Questions: What forms does education take (i.e. formal, informal, propaganda, etc.)? What is the purpose of public education in war? Should schools be used to train people for war? What is the definition of patriotism? Should schools reflect the values of the majority of society? What was the impact of WWII on the St. Johns community? How does war change culture? General Concepts, Themes, Vocabulary: Patriotism, Educational Theory, Mobilization, Culture, Migrant Work. Tim Graham and John Robinson
WWII_and_PPS.pdf_(5,044kb)

Envisioning a Democratic Nation: America at Home (1950 to present)

Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam, Conservativism and the rise of the Political Right, Urban Planning and Revitalization

Portland- From Redlining to Revitalization: This is a unit that looks at Portland’s African American community and how it has changed/remained the same. The unit focuses on the Albina neighborhood and the historical underpinnings and events that excluded, redlined, and displaced the African American community throughout Portland’s history. The unit is designed for both the Freshman Academy and predominantly Junior U.S. History class. George Bishop and Marta Repollet
Portland_Redlining_to_Revitalization.pdf_(4,339kb)

Urban Renewal in the Eliot Neighborhood: Students investigate how urban renewal impacts a community and neighborhood by examining the history of the Eliot neighborhood located in inner Northeast Portland. National historic themes of post World War II urban America are examined through the particular experience of the Eliot community. Irene Montano, Lindell Stone, Shay James Harriette Jackson, Kate Sullivan
Urban_Renewal_In_Eliot.pdf_(3,582kb)

Urban Renewal and the Minnesota Freeway: Residential restrictions and lack of political power made the residents and businesses along Minnesota Avenue victims of urban renewal in the construction of Interstate 5 through inner northeast Portland in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In a series of lessons and activities, students learn about the changed landscape of their city, the formation of their neighborhoods, and the role they have as citizens in planning for and effecting change. Tim Lang
Minnesota_Freeway.pdf_(2,753kb)

War, Survival and Healing - Stories of Vietnam and America: War, Survival and Healing is a unit that explores the Vietnamese experience in Portland and the effects of war through the lens of the American/Vietnam War. Students investigate change over time in a local neighborhood and in Portland and what that change has meant to Asian (and in particular Vietnamese) residents. Students are given opportunities to discover how refugees and others adapt to new situations and deal with issues of assimilation as is seen in films such as Green Dragon. Context for the unit is an exploration of themes of French colonialism and U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Students are encouraged to ask questions about the justifications for and against the war and to create new solutions to such conflicts. On a deeper level, students are engaged in themes such as grief, forgiveness, hope and fear. Heather Straube
War_Survival_Healing.pdf_(5,412kb)

Rich Man’s War Poor Man’s Fight: A look at who was affected by the Vietnam War and how it changed their lives: In this unit students will (1) research primary sources to understand the demographics of American military personnel during the Vietnam era, (2) use GIS software to organize and display research information for the purpose of a greater understanding, (3) look in detail at the personalities that were involved in the Vietnam War, (4) investigate the make-up of the people who were drafted into the war and who enlisted, (5) watch for evidence that supports the assumption that some social groups are more actively involved on the battlefields, (6) identify key players who were influential during this era and (7) develop an understanding of the mindset of the era that made it all possible. George Young and Michael Williams
Vietnam_Rich_War_Poor_Fight.pdf_(1,244kb)

Insiders and Outsiders: Building American Community

Community & Connections: This unit is designed to explore and explain the importance of community in a world that is increasingly connected, in some ways, and an experience that is increasingly isolated, in many ways, for the individuals occupying our society. The unit provides hands-on experience and background into the nature of historical research, giving students access to primary source materials and guidance for analysis, while at the same time teaching students how to gather historical data on their own – in the process learning something about their own origins and the roots of their personal community. The unit uses the broadest definition of community possible as it attempts to create a sense for the classroom community, the surrounding neighborhood and the city community in which we all live. The bias is toward a sense of diversity and multiculturalism, as well as a sense that history is created by people who make choices…that some of those choices are being made in the rapidly changing city around us right now, and that our students as citizens will play a role in shaping their community of tomorrow. Civics and history lurk everywhere! The unit flow starts with personal awareness for forming community, then moves to the elements of community, the broader community and the city as a community. The unit also explores changes and possible threats to community and concludes with the role of the individual in making community. This unit is also a good foundation for implementation of a community service project. Jim Keiter and Heidi Perry
Community_and_Connections.pdf_(1,043kb)

Sellwood Base Map Arcview Project.zip (880kb)

Personal Immigration Stories Arcview Project.zip (3,850kb)

Racism and de facto Segregation:

Part One: Just an Environment or a Just Environment: Racial Segregation and its Impacts.

This lesson explores the multiple causes of racial segregation and environmental racism, and helps students understand the perpetuation of institutional racism in the post-Civil Rights era. Students perform a mock tribunal in which they will research, interpret, analyze and apply historical data as evidence of factors contributing to continued racial segregation and disparity in the United States.
Visit www.pbs.org/race to access this unit online.

Part Two: Racism and de facto Segregation

This is a companion piece to the unit on racial segregation and environmental racism with a national focus in which students use data to hypothesize how multiple factors, including federal and local government, realtors, bankers, and racial prejudice, perpetuate de facto segregation and environmental racism, institutional racism and segregation in post-Civil Rights Era and in Portland. This workshop centers on two central questions: How do segregation and racial disparities persist after the Civil Rights Era? How does Portland’s history with segregation and environmental racism compare to the national history? Lessons explore the multiple causes of racial segregation and environmental racism, and help students understand how institutional racism is perpetuated today. Hyung Nam
Racism_and_de_facto_segregation.pdf_(248kb)

Franklin High School History Project: Students gain an understanding of the history of the Franklin neighborhood through activities which introduce them to historical primary source documents and provide opportunities to collect local data. Students create a neighborhood timeline or story through the use of GIS/mapping and independent research projects. Students gain proficiency in (1) research techniques, (2) use of primary source documents, (3) using GIS and spatial data. Steve Rowland
Franklin_HS_History_Project.pdf_(2,626kb)

Latino Immigration: This unit compares and analyzes the changes in Latino immigration nationally, in Oregon, the Portland Area and Franklin High School. Students are given a chance to learn about and discuss issues related to immigration such as the English-only laws and workers rights. Anibal Rivera
Latino_Immigration.pdf_(2,287kb)